August 21, 2013. First-of-Its-Kind Easement Protects Historic Area from Sea Level Rise Impacts. The State of Maryland has announced the conservation of 221 acres of natural and historic land along the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historic Park and Scenic Byway on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. The area will be protected as a “Coastal Resilience Easement,” a new conservation effort under Maryland’s Program Open Space specifically designed to build coastal resilience. According to an announcement from Governor Martin O’Malley, “This first-of-its-kind easement will not only protect a significant natural and historic area from development, it also includes requirements that address the threat of climate change.”